Envelope for letters



June 16, 1936. F, N|GQUL 2,044-541 ENVELOPE FOR LETTERS Filed April 18, 1955 FIG. I

FIG.2

Patented June 16, 1936 PATENT orrlce ENVELOPE FOR LETTERS Osmin Paul Francois Nigoul, Hussein-Dey, Algeria Application April 18,

1935, Serial No. 17,093

In Germany May 29, 1935 4 Claims.

This invention relates to an envelope for letters, essentially characterized by the fact that it comprises, on the upper part of its front face, a portion or band gummed on its inner face and provided, on its lower edge, and on its side edges, with indents, perforations or any other means allowing to easily tear it from the envelope after the latter has been opened, this band or strip being adapted to receive, on its outer part, the signs which are usually afiixed on the envelope and such as postage and registration vignettes, seals, impressions of stamping or obliterating machines, etc.

When the letter is put into the envelope, the gummed portion or band is moistened in order that it remain permanently stuck. on to the contents of the envelope, said band being thus interposed between said contents and the registration vignette or seal (which is subsequently aflixed on 20 the envelope) and therefore ensuring, by adherence or agglutination, the assemblage of the unit constituted:-

1. By the signs or by the seals;

2. By the band;

3. By the sheet or by the article contained in the envelope.

In these conditions, when the envelope is opened, the letter or contents of the envelope are easily detached from the latter whilst remaining rigid with the gummed band and the vignette.

The said vignette remains affixed to the contents of the envelope for any subsequent and necessary justification.

The invention also provides means allowing to verify if the original band has not been tampered with and replaced by another one.

For that purpose, one or more apertures are provided in the band, so that by comparing the impression of an identifying stamp left on the band with the impression left on the contents of the envelope, opposite this aperture, it may be verified if these two impressions correspond with each other.

A form of carrying the invention into practice is illustrated by way of example, in the accompanying diagrammatic drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a. front elevation (front face) of the envelope according to the invention.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation (rear face) of the envelope, with parts broken away, showing the arrangement of the aperture on the gummed band and the two nongummed lugs placed on either side of the said band.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the envelope, the flap and the gummed band being outwardly folded down.

As will be seen from these figures, the envelope forming the subject-matter of the present invention comprises, adjacent to the flap, a gummed band I which is provided, on its lower edge and on its side edges, with indents or perforations 2. This band is moreover provided'with an aperture 3 adapted to receive a portion of the impression of an identifying stamp straddling ,at the same time the outer face of the gummed band and the said aperture. I

The aperture 3 can be completely open, as illustrated in the drawing, or it can be provided with a shutter, the paper being cut out in such a manner that this shutter remains adherent to the envelope by a line weakened by indents 'or by any other means.

This shutter, the inner face of which is gummed, can be lifted for allowing the identifying impression to be made and it can then be folded down and stuck for exactlyclosing the said aperture 3. t.

As will be seen from Fig. 2, the gummed band is provided, on either side, with two nongummed lugs 4 which are folded down on to the rear face of the envelope and are subsequently covered, when closing the envelope, by the flap 5.

The perforations on the side edges are ar ranged according to oblique lines at a certain distance from the edges of the envelope, in order to prevent the said edges being torn during transport. As illustrated in Fig. 3, the gummed band is normally folded down outwardly, in order that, before closing the envelope, it may be possible to moisten the gummed surface of the said band at the same time as the gummed edge of the flap.

The envelope which has just been described and illustrated is particularly advantageous owing to the fact that it allows of giving any justification concerning the-date of postage of a letter, its nature (registration etc); it is further advantageous in that, owing to the fact that the enclosed article, the gummed band and the postage vignette form a unit by agglutination, any untimely issue of the document from its envelope becomes diflicult.

In fact, a letter which would be normallyun stuck would not release its contents before the latter and the envelope have been previously separated, with apparent trace of opening.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:-

1. An envelope having front and rear face portions, and having means for receiving a postal imprint, the said means being adapted to be at-- tached permanently to the contents of the envelope at the time of sealing the letter and to be severable from the said face portion of the envelope at the time that the latter is opened, the said means consisting of a gummed band formed across almost the entire upper longitudinal end of said face portion and secured thereto along one longitudinal side, and the two transverse sides of the band by weakened lines, the said gummed band being adapted to be secured permanently by its gummed back to the contents of the envelope at the time that thelatter is sealed, to receive the postal imprint thereon, and to be removed bodily from the envelope, along with the contents of the latter, when the envelope is opened, so that the postal imprint will always form part of the said contents.

2. An envelope having front and rear face portions, and having means for receiving a postal imprint, the said means being adapted to be at-'- tached permanently to the contents of the envelopeat the time of sealing the letter and to be severable from the said face portion of the envelope at the time that the latter is opened, the said means consisting of a gummed band formed across almost the entire upper longitudinal'end of said face portion and secured thereto along one longitudinal side, and the two transverse sides of the band by weakened lines, the said band having an aperture therein, so that the postal imprint will be received partly on the face of the band and partly on the underlying contents of the envelope, the said gummed 'band being adapted to be secured permanently by its gummed back to the contents of the envelope at the time that the latter is sealed, to receive the postal imprint thereon, and to be removed bodily from the envelope, along with the contents of the latter, when the envelope is opened, so that the postal imprint will always form part of the said contents, the identity of the contents of the letter at the time of opening the envelope with the contents at the time of sealing the envelope being susceptible of determination'by the correspondence between the portions of the postal imprint on the contents of the letter with the portion of the imprint on the envelope.

3. An envelope having front and rear face portions, and having means for receiving a postal imprint, the said means being adapted to be attached permanently to the contents of the envelope at the time of sealing the letter and to be severable from the said face portion of the envelope at the time that the latter is opened, the said means consisting of a gummed band formed across almost the entire upper longitudinal end of said face portion and secured thereto along one longitudinal side, and the two transverse sides of the band by weakened lines, and a gummed flap formed on the end of said band, the gummed band being normally folded backwardly and outwardly so that it may be moistened at the same time as the gummed edge of the flap, the said gummed band being adapted to be secured permanently by its gummed back to the contents of the envelope at the time that the latter is sealed, to receive the postal imprint thereon, and to be removed bodily from the envelope, along with the contents of the latter, when the envelope is opened, so that the postal imprint will always form part'of the said contents.

4. An envelope having front and rear face portions, and having means for receiving a postal imprint, the said means being adapted to be attached permanently tothe contents of the envelope at the time of sealing the letter and to be severable from the said face portion-of the envelope at the time that the latter is opened, the said means consisting of a gummed band formed across almost the entire upper longitudinal end of said face portion and secured thereto along one longitudinal side, and the two transverse sides of the band by weakened lines, and a gummed flap formed on the end of said band, the gummed 3 band being normallyfolded backwardly and outwardly so that it may be moistened at the same time as the gummed edge of the flap, and nongummed lugs formed one on each end of said band, beyond the transverse perforations, adapted to be folded down on the rear face portion of the envelope, so as to be covered by said flap upon closure of the envelope, the said gummed band being adapted to be secured permanently by its gummed back to the contents of the envelope at the time that the latter is sealed, to receive the postal imprint thereon, and to be removed bodily from the envelope, along with the contents of the latter, when the envelope is opened, so that the postal imprint will always form part of the said contents.

OSMIN PAUL FRANCOIS NIGOUL. 

